Emanuel Aminov, who was killed last week as he delivered meals-on-wheels to the elderly at a Brownsville housing project, was remembered in very different ways in two communities on the day of his funeral.

In the Bukharian Jewish community of Queens, hundreds of mourners remembered the grandfather of seven, a modest family man who put his kindness to work delivering meals. In Brownsville, Brooklyn, a neighborhood struggling to come to grips with the murder, Aminov's death underscored the challenges facing the low-income, crime-ridden area.

"I will make sure that the police leave no stone unturned," said Charles Barron, the city councilman who represents both Brownsville and Starrett City, where Aminov, 55, lived.

Addressing mourners at the Schwartz Brothers-Jeffer Memorial Chapel, the councilman added, "This is not just a loss for your family, but also for our community." Referring to the often tense relationship between Brownsville residents and the police, he said his message to that community was, "If you don't want to snitch, tell me and I'll do it."

"[Emanuel] was making life better for those in need," Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz told mourners. "Each of you represents the very best in him."

  

(L-R) Two of the victim's brothers, Daniel and Joseph, with Bukharian chief rabbi Yitzhak Yehoshua.

 

His family agreed. "He isn't a business guy," said his brother Yosef. "He was a simple family person."

Ironically, the family had fled war-torn Tajikistan in 1989 for New York where Emanuel Aminov worked hard to make a better life for his children and grandchildren.

Aminov wanted a better life for others, too. That's why he often filled in for other drivers to deliver food packages for the Jewish Association for Services for the Aged (JASA). On Monday morning, Nov. 10, as he walked down the stairs of 341 Dumont Avenue, he was shot in the chest.

"In a tragedy like this, death can be overwhelming," said Edwin Mendez-Santiago, commissioner of the city's Department of Aging, at the funeral. "But in the coming days, I know you'll focus on how he lived, serving the most vulnerable among us. Remember his life, passion, commitment to his family, and community."

Rabbi Yitzhak Abramov urged mourners to take greater care of their children. "We write in our hearts and souls to communicate with our children," said Abramov. "Otherwise, they too may become killers. Children are our happiness and our future. Don't let them become like this murderer."

Aminov was laid to rest at Mount Carmel Cemetery in Queens.